McDerby says he hasn’t heard anything about rising rent at the Montreal location, which opened in 1988. The Toronto store, which is located in the city’s historic St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, opened its doors in 1990. The Ottawa branch, located on Sussex Drive, opened in 1994.

Born in England, Nicholas Hoare founded the mini-chain after serving an apprenticeship at Heywood Hill, a famed bookstore in London. The look and feel of the three shops, which specialize in British books, adhere to a rustic English aesthetic, with brick walls, wooden shelves and framed oil paintings.